First Time Snorkeler
Traveling to French Polynesia was a dream come true. I was so excited to see the breathtakingly beautiful water and be within it. Water always spoke to my soul and centered me so I knew a trip to French Polynesia was going to be incredible. My love of water, however, did not come with a full feeling of being comfortable in the water. I knew coming into this trip that learning how to snorkel was a priority and a concern.
During the first opportunity to snorkel, Jennifer asked who did not know how to snorkel and I quickly raised my hand. Jennifer said okay, stick with me and I will teach you. We took the dingy off of the catamaran and found our way to the snorkel spot. Everyone else hopped in and took in the beauty of the reef and fish while I patiently waited for Jennifer to help me along the way.
She first went through how to slick back my hair so that I did not break the snorkel mask seal. We then discussed using the flippers and being cautious of where I stop so as not to damage the reef. Then I was ready to hop in the water and once I did panic set in. Yes, I knew how to swim and tread water. No, I did not enjoy my head being immersed in the water. My panic was centered on not knowing how to breathe.
Jennifer saw the panic in me and stopped. We took off our masks and she explained that you need to forget about your nose while snorkeling. I am a nose breather so this was incredibly hard at first. She taught me to breathe through my mouth in and out which we practiced together. I learned that I needed to hear my breathing to get comfortable within the water. I put my mask back on, mouthpiece in, and slowly put my head into the water.
Jennifer found my hand and she guided me to the reef, pointing out different fish. I did see some of the fish and reef during that first experience yet was very focused on breathing slowly and calmly through the mouth. I found myself starting to relax as I became more comfortable in the water knowing I could breathe and still move around.
The progression of learning grew the next snorkeling session as I felt comfortable enough to let go of Jennifer’s hand and swim on my own. I could focus on the reef and fish rather than by breathing because I was more comfortable. That comfort grew throughout the trip culminating in snorkeling with reef sharks. Sharks are still sharks though so I did still need a hand to hold onto and lasted just a few minutes in the water. I can now say that I know how to snorkel and am comfortable doing it because of Jennifer’s patience and ability to teach along the way.